Finding Home
by KennethRose
Summary: AU, 3-shot, begins during GoF. Harry Potter is feeling down after the reactions after his name is chosen by the Goblet, and he seeks a refuge at the Three Broomsticks one night. See how this seemingly small encounter shapes his aspirations and life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well this was a plot bunny that hit me while I was standing out in the rain one day. I remembered something vague in the books about a few students having crushes on Madam Rosmerta, and I wanted to expand upon that, which led to this three-shot. It _is_ AU, it _is_ a little OOC, but it's my piece of fanfiction so I twisted it to make it what I wanted it to be.**

**I hope you enjoy the, from what I can gather, fourth Harry/Rosmerta story on this site, and the only one over four thousand words.**

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A dark-haired boy sat quietly in the corner of the buzzing inn; his hair covering his face and a butterbeer nestled in his hand. Several times witches had tried to sit opposite, but had only ended up sending him hurt and offended looks when they encountered a barrier that prevented them from doing so…not that the wizard cared in the least. He took another pull out of the bottle in his hand and then peered carefully around the crowded room; searching for any person that was giving him a look other than mere suspicion. Finding none, he sighed and then leant back into the soft leather with his eyes closed.

"Hello Harry."

He smiled despite not opening his eyes to see who had spoken. "Evening Rosmerta." He cracked open an eyelid and found his gaze meeting hers; a friendly smile curving her lips and her green eyes twinkling merrily away in the light from one of the lanterns. "How's business?"

She leant back in the booth herself and shrugged, smile still firmly in place as she gave him a wink. "I can't complain Harry, but you're still my best customer." His grin widened and he pushed his innocent look firmly over his features after a moment before giving a whistle, eliciting a laugh from the pretty woman, "Of course Mister Potter, our business transactions stay private, so none of the professors know of your purchases. I'd be in trouble if they found out too!"

He leant forwards and took another draw from his bottle with a grin, "Ah, but if I was found out not only would I get detentions and a disappointed drawl from one Albus Dumbledore, but I would also have to put up with Hermione's attempts to enrol me in Alcoholics Anonymous." He grew his hair out with a small flick of his wand, turned it white, and then grew a beard a moment later before making his eyes twinkle as he pushed his spectacles back up onto the bridge of his nose, "Madam, I must protest to you selling Firewhiskey to minors, it is a most dangerous path that young Harry has decided to choose," he paused to watch her laughing hysterically at his rendition of the Headmaster, and then put a stern look over his features before forcing magic into his voice like only he and said man knew how. "Be ashamed of yourself woman, he got himself abysmally drunk not only last night after I failed to prevent his illegal entry into a lethal competition, but on several occasions preceding!"

She looked at him in shock for several seconds before dissolving into giggles once more, and he smiled warmly as he removed the enchantments from his hair and drunk another mouthful of his drink. "How did you _do_ that?"

He shrugged nonchalantly with a secret smile, "Marauders never disclose their secrets."

She seemed thoughtful for several seconds before motioning to one of the other barkeeps who came over after a moment. "Tony, would you mind covering for me tonight? I have business to conduct."

Harry turned his head away from the man when he noticed his gaze sweep over him, and then breathed a small sigh of relief when he nodded and agreed without realizing just who he was. A moment later he found himself getting pulled by the hand up the stairs of the Three Broomsticks, past a group of ex-Hogwarts students in a rather drunken stupor, and through a door which was always talked about but never walked through by anybody. The Twins had tried it…twice in fact, but had found themselves clucking like chickens, laying eggs and defecating in absurd amounts over the next week in both cases. They had conceded defeat to the locking and protection mechanisms of Madam Rosmerta's private flat, and yet Harry found himself shocked when she willingly led him into it without any hesitation whatsoever. He found himself taking in everything about the small room he found himself facing, and a small smile came to his face as he felt the homeliness and comfort that seemed to seep from everywhere.

The room wasn't large by any stretch of the imagination; barely as big as the Gryffindor Common Room in fact, but he felt so much more at home there than he had anywhere else. The surfaces were all worn down by use; scratched and gnarled in places, but it was clear that it was well looked after and cared for, treasured even. A small kitchen was off to his left, surprisingly including a refrigerator and gas stove; to his right a comfortable sitting area, and directly ahead of him was a largish bed; its sheets neatly made. He jumped slightly when he was drawn out of his thoughts with a tap to his shoulder, and he followed Madam Rosmerta to the chairs around the table when he saw her carrying a dark green bottle and two glasses.

She motioned that he should sit, and then poured him a glass of the deep amber liquid which he cradled in his hand and sniffed appreciatively. "How old is this?"

She shrugged and then cradled her own; warming it with her body heat. "I pulled it from the cellar about a year ago. It was covered in dust, right down the very bottom in fact, and so I decided to bring it up to my private room – chances were that it was a little too…extravagant for normal consumption. I didn't want it to be served to men or women with the intention to get drunk; something this old was meant to be enjoyed by a fellow Firewhiskey enthusiast."

She smiled kindly at him and he raised his glass a fraction before taking a tentative sip; his eyes widening when the heat burst through him and filled him with a tingling sensation. "Merlin!"

Her smile widened as she nodded and sipped at her own drink. "Isn't it just amazing? I'm glad I could share it with somebody that actually appreciates it."

"Thank you…nobody's ever really _shared_ something with me before." He gave her his famous lopsided smile, "It's…a very welcome experience."

She felt her stomach flutter slightly, but quashed the feeling with another smile and sip. "It's no problem Harry, but now I think you should tell me why you're sitting down in Hogsmeade with a boring old barmaid instead of up at the castle celebrating being chosen for the Triwizard Tournament."

His expression turned sour, and she became concerned when he let out a deep sigh before taking a notably larger sip of the drink. He flicked her a charming smile, "Firstly you are not old, and you're most certainly not boring, so you can cut that out right this minute Madam-"

"Rosie." He paused, confused, and she smiled at him; a slight blush tinting her cheeks, "My name is Rosie."

Distracted for a moment he raised an eyebrow, "And your last name is Rosmerta?"

She shook her head with a slight chuckle, "No; my mother's name was Rosmerta and I continued tradition. My last name is Pericaliya."

Harry's smile softened, "Fitting." This time it was her turn to be confused, and he answered her question before she could voice it. "Pericaliya is a Greek name, it means exceeding beauty."

This time she couldn't stop the fully-fledged blush that burst over her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes bashfully; it had been a long time since anybody had complimented her in such a way without being lecherous. Trying to distract both herself and Harry from her condition she questioned, "How did you know that?"

He shrugged and leant back in his chair with another sip, "I dabble in the older languages in my free time; it helps in spellcrafting and warding – specifically the former. It should be…interesting to see just what is awaiting in the first task; I've been dying to try a new blasting hex I created; a hybrid of everto, latin for destroy; αποδεκατίζουν, Greek for decimate; and разрушать, Russian for ruin. It was more than a little difficult to combine the spell matri-" He caught her slightly awed expression and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm boring you with details."

She shook her head even before he had finished, "No, that was amazing! I mean, I only know how to do the basics with magic, and yet you can just pull a hybridised spell-cross off the top of your head like that! When I was at Hogwarts, at least before I left in fifth year, we were told that hybrid spells were impossible!"

He blushed at the praise, "Well it is normally; wands aren't created for mixing magics and to try is generally a fatal mistake."

He pulled out his wand, and her eyes widened at the sight of it. In harsh contrast to the normal dark wood she was expecting, she was instead faced with a wand the likes of which she had never seen before. Its shaft was bone white; completely pure of any imperfections saves a line of curving runic symbols that were carved in silver on its surface. "Good Merlin, it's beautiful!"

He blushed deeper, "Thank you…I made it." She raised her eyes to meet his in shock, and found him looking back at her without a hint of a lie in his eyes. "It's made from the horn of a unicorn, freely given, and the runes are silver because there is unicorn blood imbued within them – also freely given."

"But…but you could be immortal!"

"Because it was freely given?" She nodded and he smiled at her before shaking his head. "I don't want to be immortal, and the Unicorn knew that. I just want to defeat that _bastard _and live a happy life. This," he motioned to the wand as he slipped it back into his wrist holster, "is a gift from the lightest of all light creatures. The first core-"

"First core?"

He grinned and nodded, "Yes, it has three. The first core consists of Unicorn hair soaked in Unicorn blood; the second is the wing feather of a royal phoenix-" he saw her gaping jaw and laughed, "and yes, I know full well that a royal phoenix has never been seen and that a wing feather has never been given before; and the third core is a feather from Pegasus." He hesitated for a moment, and then pulled it back out before holding it out handle-first to her. "Try it."

She shook her head almost violently, "I couldn't."

He nodded with a smile, "You can, and you will."

"It's too powerful for someone like me!"

He frowned and then placed it back in its rightful place before meeting her shocked green eyes with his own slightly irritated ones. "Rosie, if we're going to be more than business partners then we need to get some things straight. Are we going to be more than just business partners?" At her slight nod he continued, "Right then. You're a barmaid, and in no way does that reflect how powerful, how respectable, or how nice you are. Do you enjoy your job?"

"More than anything!"

"Well then don't be ashamed of it!" he yelled, and she looked at him in shock; she had never before seen him so confident, and she wondered if it was the Firewhiskey talking for a moment before giving him her full attention when he started talking again. "You love this job, and you chose it because it brings you a sense of happiness; something which you couldn't have gotten doing any other work. Just because you only use housework spells doesn't mean that you couldn't blast the living, excuse my language, shit out of a-" He rolled his eyes good-naturedly when he caught her disbelieving expression, and then waved his hand vaguely at the window by her bed, causing it to swing open and let in the slightly chilly air of the evening. He pulled her to her feet and led her over to it - neither commenting on just how much they enjoyed the feel of their hands touching.

Harry stopped her in front of the window and then pulled out his wand before waving it at a point by a tree in the distance where a large stone wall sprung up from nowhere, and then stepped in-behind the barmaid before forcing his wand into her surprisingly soft fingers. She gasped when the flood of power and warmth ran through her, and then became suddenly very aware of Harry's body pressing into hers from behind as he held her hand in his to guide it. "Right, now listen closely. The incantation is '_iunctus ruina'_, and I will guide your hand. I will end with a flick, and that is when you will voice the spell, okay?"

"Harry, is this really okay?"

She was clearly distressed, and he hugged her slightly from behind; surprising both himself and her with the action. She found herself relaxing into his embrace, and blushed deeply when she realized that he surely felt the stress flowing out of her. Harry, out of sight of Rosmerta, was blushing almost twice as hard as she was; never before in his entire life had he initiated a hug, and yet here he was out past curfew, out of school grounds, drinking Firewhiskey of a most potent concentration, and embracing a very, to him at least, beautiful woman nearly twenty years his senior while about to perform an impossible spell with a wand that shouldn't exist. "Are you ready?" She nodded after a deep breath, and he began the complicated twists and swirls needed to perform the complex spell. After nearly ten seconds of slow, measured movements he jerked with a flick and the spell burst from the lips of the woman he was holding.

A beam of blue surrounded by a white vortex burst from the end of the wand trailing a tail of green as it sped towards its target, and when it hit the results were astonishing. There was an almighty thump, and a burst of light which illuminated the outcome of the curse. Even Harry's eyes widened to epic proportions when he saw the explosion of earth which reached almost two hundred meters into the air. It took a moment, but when it was over and the dust had settled he immediately pulled the wand from her fingers and sent several high-powered _repairo _spells at the positively decimated area before closing the window and casting several magic-scouring charms around the room. He let out a deep breath which he hadn't realized he had been holding, and then collapsed into a chair he conjured by the window; watching as a battalion of Aurors popped into the courtyard looking extremely jumpy.

Madam Rosmerta on the other hand, was staring at her hands in shock and Harry looked up at her after a moment before grinning lopsidedly. "Well I think we can strike you not being powerful off the list; it's clearly a bullshit statement."

She nodded mutely and he led her back over to the couch; her hand once more in his, and sat down beside her this time before refilling their glasses and sitting back into the soft leather. It took nearly half an hour for the first words to be spoken, but when they were it was clear that the pretty blonde had gained a lot of self-respect through just the tone of her voice. "Thank you…I feel a lot better about myself now."

Harry smiled and raised his glass a fraction. "I'm glad I could help."

After several more minutes she spoke once more, "So why _are_ you down here with a…barmaid drinking Firewhiskey instead of celebrating with your house?"

He took a sip and looked wryly at her, "Because that_ house_ currently hates my guts; they think that I cheated my way into the tournament."

"So you didn't enter your name?"

"Of course I didn't," he snapped, but then sighed and sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm just sick of hearing people accuse me."

She recovered quickly from the shock of the outburst, and nodded in understanding but a hint of confusion was present in her eyes. "It's no problem; I've only heard the gossip, and they all say that you entered your name. If you didn't then who did?"

He shrugged, "Wouldn't have the faintest clue. Actually, to be honest it's probably just another one of Dumbledore's tests for me, which just so happens to be homicidal…again."

"Again?"

He sighed and leant back in his chair with a dry smile, "Well it goes like this…"

Over the next three hours he told her of his adventures since the beginning of Hogwarts, and at the end of it she sat back in shock; now on her sixth glass of Firewhiskey. "All of that? All of that and the senile old coot is _still_ testing you?"

He sipped once more, also on his sixth, and shrugged lazily. "I'm past giving a shit. Even though he's always watching me for excess power in case I turn out to be another Voldem-"

"You'd _never_ do that!" she interrupted vehemently, and he smiled at her warmly – making her stomach flutter again.

"Thanks, and you're right; I won't, but he can't see that. All he can see is that if anybody is anywhere near his power then they'll go dark. He seems to think that he's the only one who can handle such power without succumbing to the dark, and I'm just a teenager, so in his eyes, how in the hell am I supposed to handle such responsibility? All the light creatures disagree however."

"And I agree with them."

His smile deepened, and turned even softer, and she found herself wondering just how drunk he was. If his forward nature was anything to go by then he was quite intoxicated and would likely forget what transpired in the morning, and so she leant forward at the same time that he did and met his lips with her own. She had had her fair share of kisses in her time; all of them ruining the romantic view that she had held onto as a child. There had been no fireworks; no feeling of completion in her soul; no emotions of elation and euphoria, and no real _feeling_ behind them – but Harry's kiss blew all of that into the water. Fireworks, no, but the warmth that spread through her was incredible. The only thing that she could compare it to was Firewhiskey, but even that didn't do what she was feeling justice.

What she had intended to just be a peck, nothing of much consequence, quickly turned into something very meaningful for the blonde; something which she had only considered possible as a child. She could quite literally _feel_ the completion it brought into her; the flood of emotions it both evoked and conveyed, and the joy she could feel was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was several minutes later that they separated; their lips swollen and bruised, and their breath coming in ragged pants as they struggled to regain their coherence; their foreheads resting together. It took a couple of moments for her to realize that the smell of alcohol on Harry's breath was completely missing, and she looked up into his eyes to confirm the dread she felt.

Sure as she had thought his eyes were completely clear and full of sharp awareness and the feeling plummeted into her stomach…until he leant forwards and pressed a single, but infinitely gentle kiss once more to her lips before pulling back and looking at her as if to judge her reaction. Her reaction was confusion. "Harry…I- I don't understand. How are you not dru- why did you kiss me?"

He smiled lightly and took another sip of his drink. "My magic purifies anything I ingest. Oh I can still get drunk, but it takes a lot more than sipping on several Firewhiskies over the course of a few hours. As for why I kissed you, I thought that would be obvious; I quite fancy you."

Foregoing the purification aspect for that moment, Madam Rosmerta moved on to the rather glaring, what she considered, problem that had presented itself. "You can't like me!"

He grinned happily back, "Wonderful, I'll settle on _like_ like you then."

"Wha- why- you can't do that!"

"Too late!" he rebuked with a carefree shrug, "Don't care what the lot of them thinks if they ever find out – in fact they can shove their derogatory comments quite forcefully where the sun don't shine thank you very much. And don't," he interrupted as she moved to speak, "for a moment try and get out of this by saying that you didn't want that to happen. I paused half-way and allowed you to meet me; _you_ accepted and participated in that kiss, and not once did you move to yank yourself away."

"Harry, what I did was wrong-"

"Why Rosie?" He pointed to himself, "Because I am who I am? Because of my fame and all that rubbish? Does that mean that I don't get to choose who I'm with?"

"But-"

"Ah, I see," he interrupted again, a look of comprehension spreading over his face, "you believe that you're not worthy. You're beautiful, you're charming, you're powerful, and you're certain in yourself…apart from now, but I think this is the exception to that rule. Why can't you be with me?"

"I'm too old Harry; I'm eighteen years older than you!"

He shrugged, "Rosie, it's not as if I'm asking for your hand in marriage right this moment; I'm asking if you want to be with me and see where we go. That's what I'm asking you."

"Dumble-"

"Will stay the hell out of my life or else face the consequences." She still looked uncertain and worried, and he sighed deeply before sending her a small smile, "Would it make you feel better if we agreed to keep our relationship a secret? I'll set up a few more privacy wards and such over your apartment when I leave and unless we're in here then we'll just act friendly – what do you think?"

She sat silent, thinking for several minutes before looking across at him, "And Dumbledore won't find out?"

He shook his head, "And neither will anybody else unless we mutually discuss it and agree. Even the Twins won't get a whiff of it after I'm done with the rest of the protections."

She thought for several moments more before Harry found himself eyes-wide as she kissed him positively senseless for the second time that night. In the middle of the kiss he grinned to himself and wrapped his arms around his new girlfriend, _'I'll take that as a yes, I would be delighted to be with you.'_


	2. Chapter 2

"ANOTHER FIREWHISKEY FOR THE MAN-WHO-CONQUERED MADAM!"

Harry sighed but forced a strained smile across his face at the overly drunk pair of twins that were draped over him at the bar. It was lucky that both of them were still there; Harry had killed Rockwood just a moment before the man cast the killing curse at Fred with a killing curse of his own. It had been one of the many lives he had taken that day. He had had the thought many times that Dumbledore would be most disappointed in his…unforgiving attitude were he alive, and had he been then Harry would have told the old man precisely where to shove his opinions.

The battle had raged for hours; Voldemort and Harry drawing closer and closer together until they eventually met in the middle of the battlefield; Voldemort taunting Harry about the murder of Remus and Tonks, and Harry taunting the Dark Lord about his killing of Bellatrix and Lucius, among other Death Eaters. When Tom had discovered that Harry had almost singlehandedly defeated his entire inner circle by himself he had been furious but had, true to form, asked Harry to join him one more time before facing against him in battle. Harry had actually contemplated the offer for a moment, but then saw Hermione and Ron fighting side-by-side against a wave of Death Eaters and grinned before blowing Tom Riddle a raspberry and casting the first _crucio_ of the fight. Many had paused to watch in awe of the two wizards doing battle, and indeed the entire battleground had frozen in mutual agreement for nearly an entire hour as the pair went head-to-head; spells of the most darkest, lightest, and ancient order being used as if mere school-level spells.

Finally it had come down to the Unknowns; spells which the pair quite literally improvised in the middle of their battle. The spellweaving had left Unspeakables that were witness completely breathless and in awe, but the two wizards had no time to pay attention to what others were thinking. Eventually Harry had begun pulling ahead; his wand able to mix magics of three kinds simultaneously while Voldemort could cast using only one, and the final spell of the battle consisted of a primal yell from the young man. A wave of crushing and blinding magic had surged from his body; decimating all evil in its path, and when it smashed into the crouching form that was Tom Riddle it had flared a deep red before exploding upwards into the sky. Harry had collapsed to his knees when the magic had cleared and the ashes that remained lay in front of his eyes, and then with a wave of his hand banished the remains to the winds before promptly falling unconscious.

He had rested for over two weeks; magical and physical exhaustion finally coming down on him from the months on the run, and the deadly battle that had occurred at Hogwarts; what had come to be creatively known as the Battle of Hogwarts. When he had finally awoken he had found in his hand a small blue piece of fabric, and had smiled warmly when he smelt his girlfriend's scent on it.

This led to where he was now; in the middle of a huge celebration at the Three Broomsticks. There were so many people there that it had spread out to cover a large portion of Hogsmeade…in fact the party's location hadn't been specifically stated as the Three Broomsticks, but Harry's reasons for being there were quite clear with the pretty woman that was working as hard as she could to fill the orders at the bar. She gave him their secret smile as she slipped him another glass with two fingers of the deep amber liquid sloshing inside, and he gave her a small wink which brought out a huge blush on her face along with a beaming smile. He sipped at the drink, nodding and agreeing with Ron and Hermione at the appropriate places, and shaking hands friendly whenever they were offered while graciously accepting their thanks and congratulations, but all in all his thoughts were elsewhere.

Near four in the morning and the party was really getting into the swing of things…namely because people were abysmally smashed out of their minds, and Harry surreptitiously called on Dobby who popped into existence a moment later with his ears flapping gleefully. "THE GREAT MASTER HARRY POTTER SIR CALLS DOBBY!" he squealed in excitement, and Harry rolled his eyes with a wide grin, noting quite happily that Hermione was far too sloshed to take any notice the master-elf relationship.

"Yes I do indeed my good friend, now I need you to do me a favour."

"ANYTHING FOR THE GREAT SLAYER OF THE EVIL SNAKE FACE BASTARD MASTER HARRY POTTER SIR!"

He had the stray wondering of just how out of hand his titles were going to get, but pushed that aside for the moment as he whispered conspiratorially into Dobby's ear. Several seconds later and Harry was upstairs by the door, and with a slight crack Madam Rosmerta found herself beside him; Dobby grinning madly as he cast a glamour over himself and moved to serve the bar as an inconspicuous black-haired teen that looked a little like Harry. Chances were that everybody was so plastered that he'd be getting tips all evening for saving the world.

"Harry- mmph!"

She was quickly shut up when Harry pulled her into her apartment and delivered a toe-curling kiss; his hands buried in her hair massaging her scalp as she moaned into his mouth. It was several minutes before he broke away; the sounds of the party happening downstairs dampened to an almost inaudible hum by his wards and she looked at him in amazement. "You still want to be with me?"

He laughed, "Rosie, you think that defeating a Dark Lord changes anything? I could've had almost anybody I wanted before, but I chose you, okay? So calm down and take a deep breath, because now you're dating _the_ most famous man in the Magical World."

"What about Ginny?"

He could hear the sorrow in her tone and he frowned in slight anger as various memories pulled themselves to the surface of his mind. "Ginny…I'm working on that. She did…well I'll tell you before I leave in the morning. I'm not looking forward to that conversation." She frowned in worry, but he hushed her with a finger before she could speak. "Shhh, what matters is now, and I'm yours."

"Harry, you've only just turned eighteen-"

"Which means that you now have absolutely no more excuses, right?"

"Harry, you're a vir-"

"And you're not, I understand that Rosie; you're nearly twenty years older than me, and I expected that – but I'm happy that I get to share my first time with you."

She sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to relent, and smiled lovingly at him. "You have no idea what it means to me knowing that you want to choose me to share this with over everybody else."

Harry smiled and shrugged as he pulled her deeper into his embrace, "You have no idea to know what it means for me to finally figure out my feelings."

She pulled sharply back, "You did?"

He smiled and nodded before gliding his lips across hers with a wide smile. "I love you."

The change was almost immediate. Her eyes suddenly became watery, her hands trembled slightly, and her lip quivered almost imperceptibly. "Y-you really mean that? You're not just saying that because you want to have sex?"

"Make love," he corrected gently against her lips, "and no, I really love you. I'm in love with you."

She closed her eyes and a single tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek as she rested her forehead against his. "Merlin, I love you too Harry – I really do!"

"I know." After a moment's indecision she took his hand and bashfully led him over to her bed. It was the one place that they had never approached since the beginning of their relationship; almost as if by unspoken agreement, but tonight that changed; tonight they were going to consummate their relationship. Inside Harry's heart ached knowing what he was going to have to tell her in the morning, but he knew deep down that in the end everything would work out; that she would wait for him, and so he focused on the feel of her lips against his as she leant over him on the bed.

He loved the feel of her hair beneath his fingers, and likewise she loved the small massage that he ran over her scalp every time they kissed. It was a somewhat unspoken confession of care; a way to express the love that they had always been so afraid to voice in the past, and while they had now admitted their love to each other she knew that their small gestures; the gestures they had employed in the past years to avoid saying the words that meant so much, would always be with them – would always be strengthening their feelings for each other.

He gasped into her mouth as cool, supple fingers ran up under his shirt and over his bare skin, and then growled when he felt heat rush through him at the feeling. In an instant she was beneath him; the kiss not having been broken for a single moment, and his own hands delved underneath her shirt to run over her toned stomach. She whimpered wantonly, and Harry smirked into her mouth as her hands moved with renewed vigour. She broke away, gasping for air, and stared up at him; her gaze heated and passionate, but at the same time soft and loving. She saw her own expression reflected in his gaze, and tore off her top without a second thought; leaving her in just her jeans, bra and shoes. Without missing a beat Harry tore off his own shirt and then kissed her again while revelling in the feel of so much of his skin in contact with hers.

After a moment he pulled away again to look at her, and she blushed deep red; the flush spreading down into the crevice between her ample breasts as his gaze swept over her womanly curves; lust pouring from him. "You are so beautiful," were his only words before he leant down and captured her lips once more, and she groaned when he gently ground his palm into her breast before kneading it softly with his fingers. She had been groped many times before by overly forward patrons at her inn, but what she was feeling at that moment she had never before experienced. She had had to relieve herself at times, and had brought herself to orgasm on countless occasions, but what Harry was doing to her felt as if it should be painful due to its intensity. Fire seemed to run over her skin at his every touch, and her lips felt as if they were melting to become one with his – the experience was overwhelming for both of the lovers.

She scrambled desperately at the clasp on her bra, and with a faint snap of accidental magic she severed it at the hook before pulling it free and tossing it across the room. Harry's hands immediately began exploring the new flesh, and he moaned when he felt her breast give beneath his palm as he gently shaped it with his fingers. He never thought that skin could feel so wonderful, and yet his Love's seemed indescribably so. Breaking away from her mouth he immediately latched onto one of her nipples, and she let out a squeal of pleasure at the sudden change. She ran her fingers through his messy hair and groaned as his tongue swirled around her sensitive bud, "Oh God, Harry- Oh God don't stop!"

He had no intention of doing so.

He quickly switched to her other nipple, and she clutched desperately at him as her nerves screamed out in ecstasy. An idea popping into his head he rested his tongue against the stiff bud and started proclaiming his love for her in parseltongue. That was too much for the already-squirming woman, and she screamed loudly as the feel of his tongue tipped her over the edge. He stopped immediately; knowing from the book 'How To Treat Your Witch' that to continue could be painful for her, and simply delighted in the sight before him.

Rosie's back was arched like a bow; her breasts pushed proudly skywards as shudders ran through her; her eyes completely open and her mouth wide in a silent scream after she had ran out of breath. Finally she collapsed back onto the mattress, and Harry gently stroked her cheek as she panted heavily and nuzzled to his touch. Slowly her eyelids cracked open, and her burning green eyes met his; filled with contentedness and amazement. Without speaking a word she arched her back once more, her eyes never leaving his, and he carefully unfastened her belt before sliding her jeans down her long, smooth legs. His eyes bulged when he saw the sheer black-lace panties that covered her, but he tore his eyes away from it as he slid the jeans finally free. He banished his own shoes wandlessly to beside the door as he unbuckled hers, and a small, humoured smile tweaked at his lips when he saw her toes wiggling in the dim light.

Turning his back to her, he took one of her feet into his lap and gently dug his thumbs into the arch, and she moaned appreciatively as he worked the soreness out of them; she had been on her feet since dinner the day before, and had been dying to get off them since one that morning. She relaxed into the sheets as he worked the tension out of her, but then opened her eyes when she felt him remove his hands and shuffle around slightly. She had felt his muscled torso when she had kissed him, but seeing it in the flesh was in her opinion so much better. Despite the numerous scars from his childhood and battles he had been in, it was clear that he kept his body in peak condition – very unlike a lot of the people his age. His muscles weren't huge, but were clearly toned to perfection; lean muscle that was ready at any moment to provide huge amounts of staying power. He crawled up over her body, now just clad in his boxer shorts, and then kissed her once more; his hands mirroring hers as they trailed over his body.

She jerked every time his skin brushed over her nipples, and he found himself getting warmer and warmer as her small fingers trailed over his body and her tongue met with his. Finally she turned her head aside to break the kiss, and she looked at him with an expression of lust and love as she wiggled her way out of her knickers. What was uncovered at that moment Harry had no doubt he would ever forget. Before him lay, in his opinion, the most beautiful woman in the world; completely naked and giving to him. Her slit was just that; completely bare saves for a small tuft of blonde hair at the top; glistening with her juices, and red with need. Without even asking for permission he lowered his head to her, and she arched her back once more; her eyes shocked as he began licking her.

As soon as he first tasted her he knew that nothing would ever come close to matching it. He couldn't describe it, but it tasted precisely like _her_; clean, but at the same time with a natural musk that drove him crazy. Contrary to popular belief, Harry knew what it meant when it came down to vaginas, once more thanks to Gred and Forge's helpful book they had gifted him in fifth year. He broke away for a moment, and looked up at her with a curious expression on his face. "How long has it been for you?"

She blushed even deeper, but smiled slightly; pleased that he had noticed. "Once, fifteen years ago." He grinned up at her and nodded before returning to his ministrations, and she let out a long, drawn out moan that was music to Harry's ears. He made sure that she was positively dripping before giving her one last lick, and she twitched violently; her hands buried deep in his chaotic locks. She looked down at him, and smiled as he met her in a kiss; completely unhurried and caring. Several minutes later he pulled away, looking slightly nervous as he removed his boxers, and she stroked his cheek reassuringly with a wide smile. "It's okay; it's you and me."

He nodded slightly and relaxed before stiffening when he felt her hand grip him, and she herself gasped at what she felt. She hazarded a peek, and her eyes widened at the size of him; for once Witches' Underground was right in their assertions; Harry James Potter was very well endowed. "Harry, I need you to go very slowly with me, okay?"

He smiled nervously down at her and nodded, "I was planning on it anyways; I don't want to hurt you." Her smile softened and she pulled him down for another kiss; her tongue intertwining with his as she rubbed the tip of his cock against her slit. They both pulled away gasping, and Rosie aligned him with her before nodding up at him. Expecting him to immediately push in, she gathered herself-

And then stared up at him in shock when he placed one of his palms flat against her stomach while muttering in a language she couldn't recognize. When he finished his hand flashed a bright blue, and a rush of warmth enfolded itself around her. She gasped at the feeling, and he smiled lovingly down at her. "It's an ancient Khuzi protection ritual based on sex magic. It helps if both participants are virgins, but so long as one of them is then the protections will still imbue themselves into the two people." He stroked her cheek with infinite care as she stared deep into his eyes, and then kissed her again, "They never brought love into the equation though; to them intercourse was simply an unemotional practice of procreation – we've both received the full protections."

"Which are?"

He smiled and then groaned when she resumed stroking his penis deep within her netherlips, but managed an answer all the same. "From what I've tested immunity from love potions and spells, compulsion magic, and minor hexes."

She smiled up at him, "You're so thoughtful."

He looked bashfully down at her hand stroking him, but a smile tugged at his lips. "I want you to be as safe as possible, and if I was going to be making love to you then I decided that I should make it everything that it could be."

"Any other spells you want to cast?" the softness in her words took any sting out of the tease, and he smiled warmly before laying his hand once more on her stomach.

"Just one." She felt a soothing calm spread through her for a moment and smiled thankfully up at him.

"Thanks for remembering."

He smiled and kissed her again, delighting in the way her lips moved against his and how her fingers roamed across his back having ceased their ministrations for a moment. She smiled beautifully up at him when the first rays of sun suddenly burst through the window and illuminated them, and then aligned him with her once more. Feeling him pressing against her entrance she removed her hand and then wrapped both of her arms around his back as he slowly pushed forward. The feeling was all-consuming for both of them. Harry groaned at the feeling of her almost unbearably hot walls squeezing down on him, and she bit into his neck to muffle her raptured scream as she felt his length stretching her in ways she had never experienced. He was so large it was almost painful, but the way he slowly slid into her brought her to the peak of ecstasy as the slight pain cured the insatiable itch that had forever been eating away at her.

She began crying.

Feeling her shudders he opened his eyes; brow shining with sweat as he tried to reign himself in, and he gasped when he saw the tears running down her cheeks. "Rosie!" He wiped away the trails of moisture and then peered into her eyes as they slowly opened with worry; his movements completely halted. What he wasn't expecting was her to pull him into the most heated kiss of his entire life and then wrap her legs around his waist before impaling herself fully on him. She screamed into his mouth and all of the muscles in her body tensed as her nerves were overloaded, and Harry's eyes rolled back in his head as he felt her convulsing wildly around him. No man could have withstood that, and with a roar that joined her scream he emptied himself deep into her womb. He could feel her heat surging around him; feel her nails scraping deliriously across his back; and her tongue delving as deep as it could into his mouth, and he was the most contented man in the world.

It was several minutes of tenseness before the two collapsed back onto the sheets; chests heaving; covered in sweat and with Harry still buried hilt-deep inside of her. No words needed to be spoken as they delighted in the feel of Harry softening inside of her until he eventually slipped out, and she hugged herself tighter to him when it did; his own arms automatically pulling her protectively to him. "I love you Rosie, I always will."

She smiled warmly up at him and snuggled closer; revelling in the post-coital bliss with her lover. Nearly two hours later she spoke, and Harry looked down at her – noting the clear sadness in her eyes. "You can't promise that."

He smirked, "I can too – watch. I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic and life that I will never, and have never willingly loved another as I do you, so mote it be."

A flash of white met his oath, and she stared at him with wide eyes; realizing what he had just promised her, and what he was risking in doing so. She also couldn't lie to herself and deny that the little voice that had always been whispering her in the back of her mind was silenced. "So…Ginny?"

His eyes darkened, and a snarl worked its way onto his face as he nodded. "That circumnavigated the oath I gave, and you have no idea just how much I hate myself for giving to her in the slightest." He saw her expression and he shook his head lightly with a small smile, "She only managed to get kisses from me, and very few at that, but she managed all the same." He rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling as he spoke, and she rested her head on his chest while looking up at his face. "That's why this is so hard for me."

She felt a lump appear in her throat, and dread drop into her stomach, and her voice was tight with anxiety when she asked, "What's hard?" She was shocked when a single tear rolled down his cheek, and she wiped it hurriedly away before straddling his stomach and looking fearfully down at him. "Harry, what are you doing?"

Thirty minutes later Rosie Pericaliya was left sitting naked and alone on her bed, staring at the door which her lover had walked out of only minutes previously, and so at fifty three minutes past seven on Sunday the 24th of May 1998 Madam Rosmerta broke into tears and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

**Monday 24th May 1999**

Madam Rosmerta was like a woman possessed. She rushed around the kitchen waving her wand this way and that; pots flew around wildly; spoons stirred carefully at simmering soups and sauces; and cleaning equipment whizzed around haphazardly cleaning up the various messes that had occurred. Every single fibre of her being was concentrated at the task at hand; by her choice alone of course. She was in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and she was cooking for an entire wedding reception; arguably the biggest wedding in over a century. She had been requested personally by the bride, and to refuse would have brought down the wrath of the entire wizarding world upon her shoulders, and so she had accepted.

For such a huge undertaking she would normally have hired at least five elves along with professional chefs to help her prepare everything, but she couldn't, because if she did that then she would have had time to think about the groom; the man whom she loved with all of her being. She wanted to be angry with him; she wanted to know how he broke through his oath to her; and she wanted above all else to be the one who would in less than an hour be standing on the altar staring deep into his emotional green eyes which meant so much to her. She wanted it so much that it hurt, so the only way to do what she had been asked to do was to was to do it all herself, and to not allow her emotions to overcome her. The moment she thought about it for more than a few seconds she knew that she would break down into tears and lose all concentration on the task at hand, and so she worked.

Her hands were raw from peeling and grating ingredients too fast; sweat glistened across her brow as she rushed to and fro across the kitchen; and her feet were aching in a way that threatened to bring up memories of her last night with Harry. She whipped her hand across her eyes and wiped the resulting moisture on her apron – but froze when a hand caught her own. Every single instrument in the room froze in the middle of their movements, and she turned slowly around with her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She saw the large but smooth hand which held hers; the white-cuff which disappeared under the dark black suit jacket, and her eyes followed it upwards until she found herself looking into the face of the groom. Anger swirled in her gut, and he stumbled back when she shoved him away from her; tears already coursing down her cheeks as she collapsed to the ground and buried her head in her hands. Harry winced in pain as his hand touched down on a stovetop to steady himself, but he healed it with a mere thought and then crouched quickly down to the sobbing woman; self-loathing and love in his eyes.

"Rosie, please look at me, please!"

"You left me!" she yelled, and he winced before lowering his eyes and nodding.

"I did," he whispered, "but not for the reasons you think."

She snapped her eyes up to look at him with a glare, and she snarled angrily at him, "So you're _not_ here to marry the woman who you've been seeing for over a year; you're _not_ here to say '_I do_' and put a ring on her finger; you're not here to taunt me?"

His eyes dulled at her accusations, and he shuffled to rest his back against a cupboard opposite her; waving his hand vaguely to start the kitchen back to its bustling. "No, I'm not."

"What the hell do you mean you're not? You're dressed as a groom, and your fiancé," she spat the word, "is upstairs with your soon-to-be mother-in-law getting pampered up for a wedding!"

"And where's Sirius?"

She frowned for a moment, her tirade caught in her throat. It was common knowledge that Harry's chaperone for the day was his godfather, and indeed if that was true then why wasn't he keeping an eye on Harry…let alone preventing a meeting with another woman before a wedding. "You tied him up then, so what?"

She was shocked out of her wits when, just a moment later, a head appeared at the door to the kitchen, uncharacteristically unsmiling, and Sirius Black shook his head. "I'm right here running interference for Harry."

A moment later he popped back out of view, and she looked to Harry in complete and utter confusion. Her emotions were in turmoil; she had finally let out her anger at the man who she had so trusted and whom she thought had betrayed her, and yet it seemed like there was far more to what was happening than she thought. "Ginny dosed me with Amortentia." She gaped at Harry, and he ran a hand through his messy hair, not meeting her eyes. "She started in fourth year, and I realized what was happening during fifth. The feelings I held for you were far more than what I felt for her, but I wondered why I was having feelings for her at all."

He reached into his pocket and handed her a piece of paper which she took apprehensively. "I visited Madam Pomfrey and asked her to scan me for any compulsion spells, and she discovered far more than I had previously anticipated. I had been dosed with Amortentia since fourth year; I had more than fifty compulsion charms on my person to the same effect in regards Ginny, and there were also several darker variations of control curses on me. She removed them immediately, and then we worked to emulate them so that whoever it was would think I was still under their influence and reveal themselves."

He gave a humourless chuckle, "Turns out it was my best friend's sister, and that her mother had been helping her ensnare me. Suffice to say that I was more than a little pissed off." She peered over the sheet in her hands, and her eyes widened at some of the dark classifications of the spells. By all counts he shouldn't have been able to even breathe without Ginny's say so, and yet he had not only done just that, but had also continued his relationship with her during that time. Her anger was slowly morphing into forgiveness, but she waited for the entire story to emerge before making her verdict. "So I kept a very close eye on her; gathered evidence and the like in order to blackmail her with it – but then when I talked to my attorney about what was happening he informed me that everything was inadmissible in court because I had stolen the evidence. The only thing that I could legally submit was the report from Poppy, and it had no ties to Ginny."

He closed his eyes, and she could see the strain in his expression. "I thought so hard about what I could do to stop it; to prevent her from not only snagging me but anybody else and every option was illegal but one." He cracked open his eyes, and she could see the raw pain that resided there, "And that meant hurting both you and me. I had to leave you; I had to leave without you knowing what I was going to do, or else it would have been conspiracy and the last thing I wanted to do was get you thrown in Azkaban."

"That was why you cried…"

He nodded, "I could barely stand it, and it took every ounce of will power that I had to not show her that I knew and run back to you. I knew that if I did then she wouldn't stop, and you'd likely be in danger from her seeking revenge."

She searched him, not speaking for several long minutes before the first tear slid down her cheek. Before it could drop from her chin she leapt at him and buried herself in his embrace; sobbing heavily into his jacket without even the slightest restraint; clutching desperately at his shirt as if he would disappear at any moment. He ran his hands through her hair and cried silently himself; drawing in the feel and smell of the woman in his arms once more. He hadn't been able to contact her once for an entire year to that day and it felt as if almost instantly he was healing from just holding her in his arms. She finally pulled away slightly, and he looked down at her wondering what was wrong until her lips met his. It was like being deprived of oxygen and then suddenly being able to breathe again; and both of them pushed deeper into the kiss as if their lives depended on it. Her tongue tentatively reached out into his mouth, and she moaned into him when he immediately met it with his own; delving deep into her mouth and tasting her in desperation; trying to take in every single piece of her in an instant.

They pulled away, panting and blushing deeply, but with matching smiles of complete and utter joy on their faces as they stared into each other's eyes. Harry caught a movement out the corner of his eye and nodded to Sirius who was now grinning like a madman. The ex-convict disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, and Harry turned back to the Love of his life with complete sincerity as he reached into his pocket. When he pulled the two velvet cases from its depths she took in a deep breath and snapped her eyes to his in search of even the slightest hint of deceit. Her jaw slackened when she found absolutely none. He took in a deep breath, and then smiled brilliantly at her as he opened the lid. She didn't even look at what she was being shown; her eyes too fixed on his to notice anything else. "Rosie Marie Pericaliya, will you marry me?"

Her answer was to push him backwards and force her lips to his; her hands buried deep in his hair in an attempt to draw him even closer to her. He was more than happy to oblige, and immediately deepened the kiss as he slipped his hand under the rear of her shirt and traced his fingers over her bare back. She groaned in complete elation as she felt his touch bring forth the same fire it once had to her skin, and her tongue warred with his as she poured an entire year of restrained love for him into her actions. Likewise Harry pushed forth all of his emotion, and both of them sagged against each other with the passion coursing through them. It took nearly an entire minute of throat-clearing for the pair to separate, and Rosmerta blushed a deep red before burying her head deep into Harry's chest when she saw Sirius and an old man looking at them with amused expressions.

"I was not expecting this Mister Potter."

Harry smiled down at the head of hair visible to him and kissed the crown of her head before giving his attention to the older man by the door with a joyful shrug, "True love is something that cannot be denied."

"You know what you claim?"

His eyes sharpened and he shook his head, "I don't claim Great Druid; I know."

Rosie's head snapped upwards at the title, and she gawped at the man standing beside the very well-dressed Sirius. "G-Great Druid?" she squeaked, and the man smiled kindly at her.

"Indeed young one and I believe that I have been called here today to witness and precede over a bonding ritual between you and Mister Potter here today." He raised an amused eyebrow, "I have been told by Mister Black that the wedding between Mister Potter and Miss Weasley will continue however…I believe that the purity ritual will cause quite a ruckus."

Harry smirked deviously, and Rosie looked up at him in shock. "It will quite forcefully reject me my Love, especially after the Great Druid here weds us."

"We're getting married now?"

Harry smiled down at her, "Yes, we are. I never wanted a frivolous wedding like the one the Weasleys have prepared; I just wanted one that was small and meaningful to me. Both of us have probably spent more time in a kitchen than the majority of all other witches and wizards alive, so I find this to be fitting, unless you have any objection?"

She shook her head mutely, but the mile-wide grin on her face belied her true feelings on the matter. Harry picked up the ring-box off the floor and handed it to Sirius, who grinned and winked at them both, and the Great Druid took a step forward and smiled at them as if conducting a wedding ceremony in the middle of a magically bustling kitchen was everyday business. "Today we are here to witness the marriage of Harry James Potter and Rosie Marie Pericaliya - is this correct?"

Harry shook his head in the negative and then drew a rune in the air in front of him which glimmered for a second before disappearing in a flash of white. The Druid's eyebrows shot up underneath his fringe and he stared at the pair in shock, "I see. Well then I shall only be witnessing then."

Rosie looked up at Harry in confusion, but relaxed when she saw his beaming smile down at her. She found out why a moment later. "Today we are here to witness the eternal marriage and soul bonding of Harry James Potter and Rosie Marie Pericaliya." She stared up at him in shock, and he sent her a wink before turning back to the Druid; her hand held tightly but comfortably in his. "The holy blessing of a union is rare; so rare in fact that the last recorded case was with the Founders of Hogwarts, and so it is my honour today to be leading the ceremony alongside the powers that be." The two felt a warmth around their joined hands, and peered down before promptly dropping their jaws when they saw the twin tendrils of white magic curling around their fingers. "In life, in death, in mind and body and soul, the pair before us today has agreed and is gifted with The Union which will bind them together for eternity." He turned to Harry, "Do you, Harry James Potter, promise to love and cherish your bonded for all of time? To never betray her or let her go and to fight for what you hold between you?"

He nodded, and then stared right into her eyes as he smiled lovingly down at her. "I do promise, so mote it be." A flash of magic accepted his oath, and the ring disappeared from the box in Sirius' hand to appear on his left ring finger where the runes in it pulsed with an ethereal light.

The Druid then turned to Rosie, and his face crinkled into a smile. "Young one, do you promise to love and cherish your bonded for all of time? To never betray him or let him go and to fight for what you hold between you?"

She hadn't broken eye contact with Harry since he had established it, and she smiled brilliantly up at him. "I do, forever, so mote it be."

Another flash, this time brighter, and the tendrils crept further up their arms as the ring appeared on her finger. The Druid's eyes lit up happily, and he spread his arms out wide, "Then the powers that be and the magical world congratulate you on your eternal union; you may solidify the bond Mister and Missus Potter."

Harry leant down and met his wife in the middle, and both of them clutched at one another as magic burst forth around them and rocked through their very souls; connecting them in the most intimate of ways. Both Sirius and the elderly mage shielded their eyes and hurriedly erected magic suppression wards around the room to prevent discovery by the supposed-bride upstairs. It was several minutes before the glow subsided, and when it did both Sirius and the Druid's eyes widened. "Good Merlin I never expected this!"

Harry pulled away from his bonded's lips, and then beamed brightly down at her when he saw what had happened. He conjured a mirror with a flick of his hand, and then wrapped an arm around her waist before turning to that she could see herself. When she did she gaped, and raised a hand to touch her face. The beautiful young woman in the mirror did the same; not looking a day over twenty, and the image of her standing next to her beaming husband with his arm wrapped around her would be forever burned in their memories. She looked at the strapless white wedding gown that flowed over her torso for a few moments before grabbing Harry by the hair and pulling him back down into a soul-searing kiss.

He most certainly wasn't complaining.

It was another seven minutes before the couple broke apart, and Harry's eyes for the first time in his entire life were completely contented. Never before had either felt the level of completion that they were feeling at that moment, and they both instinctively knew that it was because their souls were now bonded directly to each other. The feeling was indescribable, and both of them shivered at the thought of not having it in their lives. They stared deep into each other's eyes for several moments in silent communication before Harry pulled away from her and smiled over at Sirius, who was looking at the pair with barely concealed shock. "Close it fleabag or else you'll end up catching a fly." His mouth snapped shut, and Rosie let out a musical giggle which lifted everybody's spirits – especially Harry's. He peered at his watch, the watch Rosie had given him for his eighteenth birthday, and then nodded to Sirius. "We need to get a move on to the venue. I'll apparate through the wards and drop my wife off in the wings beside the altar, and then pop back here so that we can stroll in together."

Without waiting for an answer he pulled Rosie into a very enjoyable embrace and then popped away with an almost silent crack. A moment later they reappeared in near-darkness, and he immediately kissed her. She kissed him right back, and clutched at his shirt once more. When he pulled away he smiled devotedly at her and shook his head before running his hand over the still-faintly glowing ring on her finger. "I will never leave you; never be afraid of that ever again. I'll be back in a minute or two, but wait for my signal before coming out, okay?"

She nodded happily and then kissed him one last time before he crackled away back to Sirius' house. The man himself was waiting in the kitchen…along with Molly Weasley who was looking rather upset. Harry nearly groaned. "Harry! Where have you been, you need to be at the wedding! Where were you?"

"Vaults to get the rings," he held up the empty velvet box in explanation, and before she could question him further he rolled his eyes with a forced smile. "Molly, you expect me to trust Sirius with looking after the rings _before_ more than five minutes before the ceremony?"

A slight grin twitched at the corners of her lips and she nodded slightly. "I suppose not my dear, but please hurry! Ginny and you need to be away on your honeymoon almost as soon as the ceremony finishes; the portkey leaves at six!"

Harry nodded, and then after handing the rings to Sirius under the watchful eye of the master controller, popped away. The two landed easily outside the church, but inside the wards, and Harry stared at the media circus in shock as he shook his head, "Really Padfoot, what are they expecting?" After a moment the pair got a glimmer of mischief in their eyes, and both surreptitiously pulled their wands before, under the ruse of making last minute adjustments to each other's suits, flinging their wands outwards and casting as the assembled crowd. The first person to notice the two wizards casting in their direction ducked, but considering that both of the troublemakers had based it off a crowd control charm that really didn't matter. An instant later everybody's hair turned electric pink; their feet grew nearly twenty sizes; and their clothing turned into a rather fabulous pair of Bozo pants and suspenders.

Harry and Sirius cackled at the shocked expressions, and then roars of outrage, and walked into the church side by side down the aisle. Many of the guests were twisting around trying to see out the door to see what the ruckus was, and so Harry had the good fortune of making it to the altar without being accosted by somebody. He caught sight of Rosie's stunning blonde hair in the darkness of the curtains and very carefully mouthed 'I love you' to her before turning to look out over the audience. He winked at Poppy, who widened her eyes comically at him, and then gave several of his friends happy nods – and a wink to Luna and Neville who had always been convinced of foul play where Harry's love life had been concerned.

As he glanced at Ron and Hermione he truly hoped that they would be on his side for the approaching chaos, but when he saw Ron and caught some surface thoughts his face saddened; he was convinced well and truly that Ginny was meant for him and that was it. Checking that his ring was still hidden under a glamour he glanced around nervously and cast a few silent but very, very powerful wards around where he was standing. Without any warning the wedding march broke out in the church and Harry looked to Sirius with a nervous sigh. As he watched Ginny walk down the aisle with a forced smile Sirius leant to his ear, "Easy cub; you've already tied yourself to the person you really love so this, in all honesty, shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Keep telling yourself that," Harry snapped quietly, "I'm just worried that I'm going to have to blast my way out of here."

"Aurors are on the roof, and you've given them enough evidence to have them on your side. They've got your back, I've got your back, and your wife's got your back as well."

Harry peered over into the shadows and grinned when he saw his wife scowling at the redhead beaming away as she walked down the aisle. Ginny however, thought that this grin was directed at her, and beamed even brighter at him. He was sure that there was a spell somewhere which made it look so dazzling, and so dispelled it automatically. The redhead's smile stiffened when she realized just what had happened, but managed to keep up the happy façade until she reached the altar where Arthur handed her off to Harry. He dropped her hand almost immediately, and raised his eyebrow when she leant over to him so that her bridesmaid Hannah Abbot couldn't hear her and hissed, "Why did you go and do that? It was working perfectly and you just had to go and dispel it, didn't you?"

He shrugged, "You know my thoughts on spells which alter people's views Ginny; I thought you of all people would understand that after your first year."

She stiffened at both the mention of mind-altering spells and Tom Riddle, and then turned stiffly to face the Druid when he stepped up onto the altar with them. Sirius tapped out a piece of code on Harry's elbow, _'Oh you can see the old man's enjoying this'_, and then winked at the elderly mage who returned the look with a secret smirk. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage between Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley. Are there any people that object to this union?"

Harry spared a glance at the shadows and could see his wife's wand-tip glowing with pent-up magic and shook his head with a disarming smile. He saw the disappointment in her eyes, but then sent a wave of reassurance over their soul bond and saw her smile lovingly at him. He returned his gaze to the druid, and saw the smirk even more pronounced as he put together what had just occurred. "But, or course, for a marriage of this calibre and importance, protocol must be observed; the purity ritual. Ginevra Molly Weasley, please step forwards." She did so, and watched with a serene look on her face as the bearded man waved his wand in complicated patterns across her body. After several minutes she pulsed white and glowed silver for a moment, and the Druid took a step back with a nod. "You are free of other bonds."

The redhead stepped back with a look of satisfaction on her face, and Harry stepped forwards without prompt. The Druid immediately began waving his wand in the same pattern, but after he finished a rather different result presented itself. Harry was lifted bodily into the air as magic buffeted around him before releasing him gently onto the ground where he pulsed a deep gold as the tendrils of white receded from his body. The Druid looked genuinely shocked, as did the rest of the guests, before looking at Harry with a new measure of respect. "You, Harry James Potter, are this age's Archmage – you are pure in spirit and soul, but you are not free of bonds."

Harry grinned at the shocked look on Ginny's face and shrugged, "Not a big surprise there Head Druid."

The man smirked, "Indeed Mister Potter; perhaps calling out your bonded would be prudent at the current time while those who would maim are too shocked?"

He smiled and then turned to the shadows with a nod, and a moment later the beautiful blonde stepped out; much to the gaping shock of the entire wedding audience. What really ruffled their view of the entire ceremony however, was how she walked confidently to Harry, entered his waiting embrace, and then kissed him full on the lips with a passion that rivalled any that anybody present had ever seen. "My husband," she whispered against his lips as she pulled away, and he brushed his against hers a moment later with a mumbled but joyous, "My wife."

All beautiful moments however, had to come to an end. That end, in this case, was one very upset Molly Weasley. "WHO THE BLOODY MERLIN IS THAT SLAG?"

The Druid smiled widely and held out his arm, "May I present to you all, Mister Harry James and Missus Rosie Marie Potter!"

The announcement didn't bring forth any applause whatsoever, in fact the silence deepened, and Ginny's ears were turning an even darker shade of red; the tell-tale signs of an impending blow-up. That was until Poppy Pomfrey stood up from her chair, tears rolling down her cheeks, with a huge grin on her face as she clapped her hands together in delight. After a moment or two Neville and Luna joined in, and then more clapping ensued until everybody saves the bride's family was applauding and whistling. In a last ditch attempt to bind Harry Ginny tore the ring box from Sirius, intending to forcefully place the ring on Harry's finger, but froze when both Harry and Rosie held up their left hands with mile-wide grins on their faces.

He leant down and smirked widely, "Don't try and play with the big leagues Gin-gin, because we're stronger, smarter, and more devious than you ever could be." He straightened himself; Rosie hugging herself to his arm, and then nodded to the ceiling. With a series of pops over twenty Aurors appeared before the altar, and all applause halted immediately. Harry pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, cleared his throat, and then began reading. "I, Harry James Potter, do so accuse Ginevra Molly Weasley of attempted line theft, assault on the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, possession of a class-A love potion, administration of said love potion to the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, use of dark magic, and use of illegal compulsion magic. Proof has been submitted to the DMLE, and has been approved as valid and admissible in court, so mote it be."

A flash followed his declaration, and then he flipped the piece of paper before speaking once more. "I, Harry James Potter, do so accuse Molly Weasley of attempted line theft, possession and brewing of a class-A drug, tutoring Dark Magic to a minor, tutoring Dark Magic, tutoring illegal spells to a minor, and tutoring illegal spells. Proof has also been submitted to the DMLE and has been approved as valid and admissible in court, so mote it be." Another flash signalled his claim, and Molly let out a yell of frustration as she tried to leap at him. She was immediately restrained by several aurors, as was Ginny when she pulled her wand and fired off a spell at Harry, and with a series of muted pops the hall was silent once more. Harry conjured a couple of chairs and motioned kindly for the Druid to take the leather one, before taking his own before Rosie sat on his lap.

"Good afternoon all; as I'm sure you're all wondering just who is this beautiful lady sitting on my lap?" She blushed at the praise, but intertwined her fingers with his around her stomach all the same. Some nods came from various people, and Harry noted that Ron looked particularly sour about the situation while the twins were on the verge of bowing down to Harry as the prank master of the century. Sirius had returned to beside Amelia Bones in the front pew, the woman who, ironically being an ex-convict and all, he was dating, and he was smiling up at him with a reassuring nod. "I just wish the Head Druid here to confirm that our marriage is completely legal and unbreakable?" The old man nodded with a twinkle in his eye, and Harry twinkled back as he turned to the crowd with a slight smirk. He felt around with his magic and then grinned ear-to-ear when he felt the presence of three individuals. "Seamus, Dean and Ernie, please stand up." The three did so, looking decidedly quite nervous, and Harry grinned at them. "I expect your high-school crushes on my wonderful wife to cease immediately; coveting another man's wife and all that jazz."

The three fainted dead away when they realized just who the woman sitting on his lap was, and a moment later a few more followed. Hermione, ever the academic, shook her head. "That is not Madam Rosmerta; Madam Rosmerta is thirty eight years old this year Harry."

Harry turned to the Druid with a grin, "Head Druid, could you please confirm the identity of my wife?"

"Of course Archmage Potter, your wife's name is Rosie Marie Pericaliya; also known as Madam Rosmerta."

Gasps met the man's statement, and wide eyes turned to the young woman in disbelief. Harry shrugged with a grin, "We soul bonded and it brought her age to meet mine. I suppose that it's normal, but since we're the first in a couple of thousand years I really cannot be sure."

"Mister Potter!"

He turned to see a reporter in the back waving her hand wildly about and he rolled his eyes with a slight growl. "This is the only question that the press will be allowed, so for the love of Merlin make it worth it. After this both myself and my wife will be out of contact for some time."

The question which that particular reporter thought best served the Wizarding World's interest was something Harry was sure she would be getting complaints about until he resurfaced again. "Why would you choose to marry a woman eighteen years older than you who just runs an inn?"

He stood from his chair beaming and wrapped an arm around Rosie's waist. "Thank you for the short answer question." He turned to Padfoot and winked, "We'll be where I discussed, and I suggest you don't pop in anytime soon else I'll be forced to charge you with perversion." Amelia rapped him over the head with her knuckles when he grinned lecherously, and Harry rolled his eyes with a smile before turning back to the reporter. "Five words Miss…"

"Skeeter."

"Any relation to Rita Skeeter?"

"I'm her niece."

Harry groaned, much to the chuckles of a few in the audience, "Good Merlin, another one? As I said Miss Skeeter, five words: I'm in love with her!" and with a crack he disappeared. The two popped back into existence in the middle of her small living room, and she lowered her eyes slightly in shame. Harry noted it immediately and hugged her from behind while rocking side-to-side slightly. "You're ashamed of your house?"

"You're Harry Potter, of course I feel it's inadequate! I always have since we started seeing each other."

"It's not; it's home." She turned around in confusion and he took her hand in his before pointing to the worn, ragged mat in front of the fire. "What does that mean to you?"

Her eyes softened with emotion, and she smiled gently. "I remember you kissing me on my birthday two years ago."

He smiled and nodded, and then pointed to the small, rickety dining table by the kitchen. "And what does that mean to you?"

Her smile warmed, "It reminds me of the times you apparated from the Dursleys every holiday night and cooked me dinner and we ate it while holding hands." She looked up at him and smiled before drifting her lips across his, "I always loved that."

He smiled and kissed her more deeply, "Well now you can look forward to me cooking for you every night."

He pointed to the couch and she answered without his question. "It's where we always drunk our glass of Firewhiskey when we had the time; where we'd just sit and talk about nothing and everything."

He nodded and then kissed her again before pecking her nose lightly with a warm, loving smile. "I've been to Potter Manor, Number 12 Grimmauld, Gryffindor Manor, the Potter Flat in London, the beach-house in the Bahamas, the villa in southern France, and yet none of them mean anything to me compared to here. I have no memories of those paces; they all seem so grand and impersonal, but here is different; here I have memories of where our relationship started, where I confessed my love to you, where I first kissed you, where we held hands, the time I accidentally walked in on your showering in my fourth year after the Second Task." She blushed slightly, and he pulled her down onto the soft leather with a wide grin. "This is our home now, if you want it to be. I feel more than happy here; I feel as if it means something to me, which is more than I can say for the grand manors that I have visited."

She wiped her eyes of tears and then smiled wetly up at him with a nod, "I want this to be our home."

He smiled and then kissed her again, "Then it will be, and if we ever need to make it bigger then I'll do just that; it's just a spell or two if we really need it."

She smiled warmly up at him, but then frowned. "What are you going to do for a job?"

He smiled and nodded in the direction of the castle in the distance, "I've been offered the Defence of the Dark Arts post as a professor, and now that I've broken the curse I've gladly taken it. They offered me quarters there, but I held off answering until I knew whether or not you'd marry me."

Her eyes widened in joy, but then, after several moments, darkened almost imperceptibly. She leant up and buried her hand in his hair as she pulled him down into her kiss, and felt her body rush through with heat when he returned the kiss and delved deep into her mouth with his tongue. She pulled away, panting, and then dragged him over to the bed, "Good, because if you had taken the offer then the first year students would be scared out of their wits."

He had the fleeting thought of asking what she meant by that, but lost all coherence when she tore off her shirt and wandlessly banished his in a whirl of passion. Nearly three hours and multiple orgasms later Harry Potter fell back on to the sheets with his wife and cast a quick cleaning and drying charm over them both as she collapsed onto his chest; still shuddering as the aftershocks of her latest rush of pleasure coursed through her. She could feel him still pulsing deep within her, and squeezed him gently with her muscles, drawing a groan from his lips as she milked the last of his seed from him and pulled it deep into herself.

He peered down at her; looking over her panting, tired and youthful body with his all-seeing green eyes, and kissed her lips gently; reminding her of his love. She smiled at his actions and returned his kiss before curling up and pulling the sheets over them both as she breathed in his scent and delighted in the feel of her entire body pressed bare up against his.

"I see what you mean about scaring the first years," he murmured after several long moments of comfortable silence, "they'd think I was torturing you in there if they heard you screaming like that."

She swatted his arm playfully, but the mischievous glint in her eye promised an idea in the near future. Several moments later he was graced with hearing her plan, and he chuckled before bathing the room in darkness with a wave of his hand.

"Minerva is _so_ going to sack me."

**And so we come to the end of this story! I wrote it all in about four hours and spent two proofing it, and I must say that I'm quite happy with how it turned out. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review; it's all us authors get.**


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